PENSACOLA, Fla. - No. 7-seeded Georgia Southern notched its first Sun Belt Conference tournament victory in program history with an 88-79 win over No. 10 seed Georgia State on Wednesday evening at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Fla.

The Eagles (18-9) move on to face No. 2 seed UTA in the Quarterfinals, while Georgia State sees its season come to a close with a 10-16 record. The two in-state rivals were meeting in the postseason for the first time since the NSWAC Semifinals in 1987. Before tonight, Georgia Southern had been 0-4 in Sun Belt tournament action since joining the league in 2014-15.

Georgia Southern opened the game on a 13-2 run and held that lead into halftime as the Eagles enjoyed a 50-36 lead at the break, thanks to 6-of-8 shooting from three-point range. Georgia Southern hit 6-of-8 three-pointers in the first half en route to scoring 50 points for a second straight half against the Panthers.

The Eagles then opened the second half on a 16-4 run to lead, 66-40, with 4:33 remaining in the quarter. After a media time out, Georgia State started its comeback, going 15-2 to close the quarter and pull within 13, 68-55.

The Panthers continued the run in the fourth quarter, starting off the quarter on a 9-3 run to cut the lead to seven. But Georgia Southern got to the free throw line 18 times in the fourth quarter, making 14 of those shots to close out the win over Georgia State.

Mya Burns led a quartet of Eagles in double figures on the night with 20 points - 15 in the first half. Taya Gibson added 19 points off the bench, while Terren Ward had 17 and Ja'nya Love-Hill added 16. Georgia State placed five players in double figures, led by Taniyah Worth's 15 points.

Eagle of the Game
Gibson notched a career-high with 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor, including 1-of-2 from three-point range, as well as a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line. She added eight rebounds - including five offensive - on the night.

Stat of the Game
Georgia Southern went 24-of-29 from the free throw line in the win over the Panthers for 82.8%, and the 24 made free throws are a single-game high this season for the Eagles.

Quotables • WATCH HEAD COACH ANITA HOWARD'S POST-GAME PRESS CONFERENCE WITH JUNIORS MYA BURNS AND TAYA GIBSON
Head Coach Anita Howard on the historic tournament win over the Panthers
"I am glad that is over! We got the monkey off our back a little bit. I thought we came out strong and aggressive, but then we let up a little bit. We talked about not taking our foot off the gas. But hats off to Gene [Hill] and Georgia State, for not just giving up, they came back and made it a game. I know we have to do better to get ready for a strong UTA team."

Coach Howard on the composure of the team during the second half Georgia State comeback
"I told them that we didn't need to make the game any more interesting! We got a little complacent up 26, and allowed some plays to happen, and gave them some momentum. Basketball is a game of momentum, I share that with the ladies all the time. They turned up their intensity, they challenged our transition defense. They were much more aggressive than we were, so we just had to get back to doing the fundamental things that allowed us to get up by 26. This season, we've been able to keep our composure and close out games, and we did that tonight."

Next Up
The Eagles face No. 2 seed UTA on Friday, March 4, at 8:30 pm ET in the Sun Belt Tournament Quarterfinals from the Pensacola Bay Center.